Combined bag and closure



'sept 21, 1937.

J. A. FARMER COMBINED BAG AND CLosURE Filed July 5, 19:55

2 Sheets-.Sheet- 1 sept. 21, 1937. J. A. FARMER 2,093,975

COMBINED BAG AND CLOSURE Filed July 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept, 21, 1937 i 2,093,975

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE COMBINED BAG AND CLOSURE John A. Farmer, Lancaster, Pa.

Application July 5, 1935, Serial No. 30,005 s claims. (c1. 229-62) This invention relates to packages, and more sheet material, such as heavy paper,y tag board,

particularly to means for closing or sealing bags. cardboard or fiber board, which tends to hold its In my prior application Serial No. 745,121, filed Shape, and iS OTIned With a SCOIe line 2 abOut september 22, 1934,1have shown and described a which it may be folded, said score 1ine being fmethod of and means for sealing bags, such shown aslocated substantiallycentrallyof the tab. 5

means comprising a closure member or sealing The bag, which is designated by the numeral 3, tab of cardboard er the like adapted to be placed may be formed 0f any Suitable exible material over the end of the bag and secured thereto. such as paper, cellulose sheeting, metal foil or the It has been found in practice, however, that it is like. somewhat diicult to properly position the seal- In carrying Ont the present invention, I DIO- 10 ing tab on or apply it to the mouth of a, filled vide means for assembling this sealing Atab or bag, and furthermore, that the accurate folding member and the bag before the latter is lled, over of the end of the bag, as described in said that is to say, while the bag is in at condition. prior application, presents somewhat of a prob- This may be COnVenEnlY ECCOInPlShBd by means l5 lem. of anassembly board A having at its end a strip l5 The general object of the present invention, or ange B and at its sides guide strips or flanges therefore, is to provide improved means for and C. The width of the board between the flanges C method of assembling the bag and sealing memis substantially equal to that of the bag and of ber, and folding over the ends of the former, the tab or closure member. when desired. e In assembling the parts, I rst take a tab or 20 In order that the invention may be readily closure member in its fiat condition and'place it understood, reference is had to the accompanying on the board A between the flanges C and with one drawings forming part of this specification, and of the curved edges abutting against the stop in which:` flange B. Furthermore, the tab is laid upon the Fig. 1 is a plan view showing my improved board with the side having the score line up- 25 method of assembling the bag and sealing memwards, if, as preferred, the scoring is done upon ber; one side only of the tab.A By the term score line Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the linev 2-2 howeverr I intend to include a row of perfora- Of Fig 1; tions or any other means by which the sheet is Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the weakened so that it may be readily folded, and in 30 assembled bag and sealing member; case perforations extending through the sheet Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the sealing .are used, it is of course immaterial which side of member and upper part of the bag as they appear the tab is placed upwardly. r after the bag has been filled and closed; Having placed the tab or closure member in the 3" Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing the position described, and having coated either the bag and sealing member assembled in a slightly end portion of one side of the bag or a median different relation; strip or zone of the tab with a suitable adhesive, Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, as indicated at 5 inFig. 1, the end portion of the but showing the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 5; bag is applied to the central portion of the tab 40 Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing how the or closure member, as shown in Fig. l, the guide 40 closure member may be used to hold the end of strips C serving to properly center and position the bag open for iilling; and the bag with respect to the ends or side edges Fig. 9 is a. fragmentary side elevation showing of the tab or closure member. Preferably the porthe sealing member and bag as they appear after tion of the tab beyond the bag end is left uncoated, 5' the bag has been iilled and closed. or free from adhesive, The proper longitudinal 45 Referring to. the drawings in detail, l desigposition in which `the bag is to be placed may be hates my closure tab or sealing member, which indicated by a suitable mark or notch on the guide is preferably formed with straight ends and with strips C. 1t will, of course, be understood 'that skirt portions la and ib having rounded edges, as only one side of the bag is thus secured to the tab 50 illustrated in Fig. l and as shown and described or closure member .by means of the adhesive, the in my said prior application. The edges of the Other Side of the bag being left free, S0 that the skirt portions may, however, be made straight, end of the bag may be readily opened. Fastening if desired. devices may be employed, instead of adhesive, .ii

The tab or closure member is formed of some desired. 55

suitable more or less resilient and relatively st ii In the form ofthe invention illustrated in Figs.

CII

1, 3 and 4, I have shown the end of the bag applied to the tab or closure member in such a position that portions of the bag end lie both above and below the fold or score line 2. In other words, the upper edge 4 of the bag is placed above the score line 2, as viewed in Figs. l and 3. After the tab or closure member has thus been secured to one side of the top of the bag, in flat condition, as shown in Fig. 3, the bag may be readily opened by squeezing or pressing together the opposite side edges of the tab, as shown in Fig. 8, this causing the end portions of the bag to separate, and the free side to bulge outwardly. When in this position, the bag maybe readily filled. After the bag has been filled, the tab or closure member is folded down over the end of the bag, and the end portions of the bag are likewise folded over on themselves along the score line 2, as shown in Fig. 4, the tab or closure member completely enclosing the folded bag end. After the closure member and bag end have thus been folded to the position shown in Fig. 4, they are secured in such folded position by means of a plurality of fastening devices, such as staples 6 or the like, which extend through both legs of the tab or closure member and the folded end portions of the bag, which are enclosed between the same. The resulting package is similar to that illustrated and described in my above mentioned prior application.

It will of course be understood that a diagonal line such as shown at 1 in Fig. 9 may be formed on the tab or closure member to indicate that the corner of the package may be cut off to pro- Vide a pouring opening, as in my said prior application. l

Instead of attaching the bag to the tab or closure member, in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the edge 4 of the bag is parallel with but spaced from the score line 2, I may assemble the bag and closure member in the relative position shown in Fig. 5, in which the upper edge 4 of the bag is caused to substantially coincide with the score line. When, therefore, the bag has been filled and the tab or sealing member i is folded down from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7, it does not result in folding the end portions of the bag, but merely encloses them. The parts are held in this position by means of fastening devices 6, the same as described in connection with Fig. 4, and for many types of material, this method of closing the bag end will be found entirely satisfactory.

From the foregoing, it will be. understood that the same general method of assembling the bag and closure member may be employed for producing either the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, in which the end portions of the bag are folded over with the tab, or the arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, in which the end portions of the bag are not folded over, but are merely brought together in parallel relation and then enclosed by the tab or sealing member. The difference in results depends solely upon the relative position in which the bag and tab are assembled prior to filling, namely, whether they are assembled in the relation shown in Fig. 1 or in the relation shown in Fig. 5.

In the practical carrying out of my invention, I contemplate that a bag manufacturer may assemble bags and closure members in flat condition and sell them to manufacturers of fluent material who will ll and seal the bags. Thus, the assembled bag and closure member, such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 or in Figs. 5 and 6, constitutes of itself an article of manufacture.

While I have shown and described my invention as applied to tabs or sealing members such as illustrated in my said prior application, it will, of course, be understood that the invention is applicable also to the assembling of bags with combined closures and handles such as illustrated and described in my copending application Serial No. 30,006 led July 5, 1935.

What I claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a flexible bag having the margin of one side only of its open end secured to a flat tab of sheet material of a width substantially equal to that side of said bag being free, and said tab having a weakened fold line extending parallel with and adjacent the edge of the bag end.

2. As an article of manufacture, a flexible bag having the margin of one side only of its open end secured to a flat, relatively stiff tab of sheet material of a width substantially equal to that of the bag, the other side of said bag being free, and said tab extending substantially beyond the bag end and being formed with a score line about which it may be folded, said line extending parallel with and adjacent the edge of the bag end.

3. As an article of manufacture, a flexible bag having the margin of one side only of its open end secured to a relatively stiff, resilient, normally flat member of sheet material, terminating substantially at the side edges of the bag, said member, when compressed laterally, being capable of assuming a curved form, and when in such form,

serving to open the end of the bag so that it may be filled, and said member being foldable on itself to enclose the bag end.

4. As an article of manufacture, a flexible bag having the margin of one side only of its open end secured to a flat, relatively stiff tab of resilient sheet material, the other side of said bag being free, said tab terminating substantially at the side edges of the bag and extending for a substantial distance longitudinally thereof.

5. As an article of manufacture, a flexible bag having the margin of one side of its openl end secured by adhesive to a foldable tab of relatively stiff, resilient sheet material, said tab terminating substantially at the side edges of the bag and extending longitudinally beyond the end thereof, the portion of the tab beyond the bag end being free from adhesive.

. JOHN A. FARMER.

of the bag, the other 

